


Paralysis

by SadistiKitteh



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Gemshipping, M/M, Nightmares, Sleep Paralysis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2017-06-06
Packaged: 2018-11-09 18:03:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11109945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SadistiKitteh/pseuds/SadistiKitteh
Summary: Touzoku experiences sleep paralysis for the first time, brought on by his nightmares.





	Paralysis

Touzoku woke with a start from his nightmare, sweat beading and falling down his cheek. His first instinct was to reach for his partner, Ryou, however he couldn’t make his arm move.

In fact he couldn’t move any part of his body at all.

The first thing that his panicked mind thought of was shadow magic; something was holding him down and would either kill him or torment him. Touzoku could feel a weight on his chest, and his eyes scanned the blurry shadows of the room for the source. Uncontrolled whimpers would come past his lips, but Touzoku couldn’t call for his bedmate. He watched as a shape slowly rose from the bedside, his face undefined but with a gaze somehow piercing.

Touzoku felt his heart leap in his chest, he couldn’t let anything hurt his Ryou. He wouldn’t let the shadows hurt either of them anymore. He tried to yell his name, trying to move his arm just enough to squeeze his hand and beg to the Gods he wakes up. Tears fell from his eyes watching the figure lean over Ryou’s sleeping form. ‘Don’t take him….he’s all I have, don’t take him..’

The nightmare was still so fresh in his memory, and he could feel the heat of flames and smell burning flesh and he could only watch as the shadow pressed itself to him…and then lift it’s gazeless void to meet Touzoku’s eyes.

Whatever held Touzoku let him free and Touzoku launched himself over Ryou’s body, squeezing his eyes shut as he waited the shadow being to take it’s rage out on him.

Ryou heard Touzoku crying out to ‘’not take him’’ before he felt the weight of his boyfriend against him. He slowly sat up as not to startle Touzoku and started stroking back his sweat-dampened hair. Ryou gently coaxed Touzoku to climb off him, assuring him over and over that there were no shadow beings and it was a nightmare.

“I couldn’t move, Ryou! This wasn’t a nightmare, I fought the shadow off you! It touched you, didn’t you feel it?!”

Ryou groggily pieced together what happened, just holding Touzoku and letting him ramble. He hugged Touzoku close and kissed his cheek. “It’s alright, Touzoku, it’s something called sleep paralysis. You couldn’t move because your brain thought you were still asleep…people hallucinate shadows and stuff.”

Ryou suppressed a yawn before hugging Touzoku close. The realization hit Touzoku hard and knowing it wasn’t real and nothing was taking Ryou from him finally broke him. He sobbed, broken finally from the stress of endless dreams and now the horrible reality that he could wake up paralyzed. Touzoku gripped onto his partner’s shoulders, forcing himself to breathe slowly as Ryou instructed. He couldn’t relive the fear of losing Ryou as well, on top of the loss of his family, his village. If this was his punishment, then Ryou was his only refuge.

Ryou pulled Touzoku into his lap, letting the man cry. He held him and hummed softly, something he knew helped ground Touzoku after his nightmares, Ryou kissed his cheeks and face as Touzoku caught his breath. He couldn’t help a small smile when Touzoku started to try sneaking kisses, and Ryou relented. The kiss was short and sweet, but it made Ryou’s stomach flutter all the same.

**Author's Note:**

> Not a ship I normally write, but I'm trying to get back into writing more. At first this was going to be a basic "TK/Bakura has nightmare and partner comforts him" fic, but I realized I never eeeever seen sleep paralysis pop up. And considering how much both Yami and Thief are depicted as holding back their emotions, it seems like it would inevitably affect them.
> 
> The ending's abrupt, but I just had no idea how to cap it best and I kinda like how I left it~


End file.
